Shop, Dine, Relax: Here’s How to Spend A Perfect Day in Dubai

Dubai has a lot to offer to its visitors. Here's how to combine sightseeing, shopping, dining and relaxing to spend a perfect day in Dubai.

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From ultra modern architecture to wonderful beaches, from luxurious malls to traditional souqs, from international cuisine to mouth-watering local dishes – Dubai has everything in place.

A single day isn’t really enough to get the best out of your trip to Dubai, of course. But in case you have only one day in Dubai for whatever reason, it’s still possible to get the most out of it.

In this article today, I will try to exhibit how to spend the perfect day in Dubai by combining sightseeing, dining, shopping, and relaxing in almost every part of the emirate.

I am going to mention different types of activities you can do in Dubai. There’s no specific order and you can do any activity in any order you prefer. You can also skip any of these activities in favor of the rest.

Travel tip: Booking your hotel rooms in advance can lead to better rates and help you avoid the last minute rush.

Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Mall

I personally do not hold enough interest in seeing man-made buildings. You too can skip Burj Khalifa completely. But I did not want to miss a visit to this gigantic tower which is special in so many ways.

Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest tower. It’s huge – like really really huge. You can’t miss a chance to take one of the world’s fastest elevator to the top of this tower and see the whole emirate as far as your eyes could see.

I would suggest buying tickets to Burj Khalifa level 124 in advance to save time and cut the queue. There will still be a long queue, but it saves time in purchasing the tickets from the site itself.

It should take no more than 2 hours to complete the tour of Burj Khalifa and you can then move to The Dubai Mall.

The Dubai Mall is one of the largest malls in the world. If you are a shopping freak like me, you should consider a visit here. The Dubai Mall is adjacent to Burj Khalifa so you might not want to miss a visit to the mall during your trip to the tower.

Besides shopping, you have plenty of places to dine and relax at The Dubai Mall. You will also love the aquarium there.

Spending about 2 hours here at The Dubai Mall should be enough unless you can’t stop yourself from shopping!

Enjoy coffee, snacks or lunch at some of the best places to dine all over the walkway as well as the Marina Mall. Bit by the shopping bug]? Then enjoy shopping at hundreds of international brands present in the Marina Mall.

Spending no more than 2 hours here should be enough so you can cover other activities.

Traditional Markets (Souqs or Souks)

You can shop hundreds of brands in malls spread across Dubai. But if you want to experience shopping the traditional way, then I would recommend you to visit local souks of Dubai.

Deira area boasts many souks which include the gold souk – one of the world’s largest gold markets. This area also offers places to shop herbs and spices, traditional perfumes, clothes, electronics and much more. If you wish to take a souvenir back home, this is where you could get one.

Just Another Day at Gold Souk Dubai

Shopping or even simply taking a walk around local markets of Dubai is a wonderful experience. These markets will take you back in time for sure. This is where you can connect with the locals as well.

Spending around 2 to 3 hours of your day should be enough in a local market.

Relax at Kite Beach

Dubai has a number of beaches you can relax at and Kite Beach is one of my favorites. I would recommend spending your evening at this beautiful beach where you can perform many activities.

Feel free to ride banana boats, fly kites or give your body some dose of sunlight. Witness the sun as it sets in the Arabian Gulf. Kite Beach is indeed the best place to enjoy a relaxing evening at.

End Your Day at Dubai Creek

After an exciting day filled with sightseeing, shopping and dining, I recommend you end your day at Dubai Creek. Hop onto one of the world’s largest dhow boat and enjoy a slow, relaxing ride around the Dubai Creek.

I recommend you end your day here not only because it’s a relaxing, but also because it involves dinner. Indulge in a 5-star international buffet full of different dishes to choose from. Salads, soups, fruits, juices, drinks (charged extra) and veg/non.veg main dishes – this buffet has everything to please your taste buds.

That’s not it. You also have many sweet dishes and desserts to choose from. Enjoy your dinner as you slowly sail across the Dubai Creek. A live singer and Arabian dance performances will also catch your attention during your ride.

After almost two hours long Dubai Creek ride, you will be dropped back at your hotel – ending your exciting day in Dubai.

Desert Safari

Desert Safari is an activity I would recommend if you have more than one day in the emirate. Why? Because it’s a lengthy activity – taking up about 6 hours to complete. Desert Safari pickups are scheduled for the noon and the activity ends late at night.

If you prefer, you can spend half of your day at Dubai Safari and avoid visiting a beach and Dubai Creek. This will give you enough time to do sightseeing, dining and shopping. The rest of your day could be spent with Dubai Safari.

Desert Safari involves being picked up from your hotel. You are taken to the desert where you can enjoy dune bashing on a quad bike. After this, you’re taken deeper into the beautiful desert – making a stop or two to let you enjoy the scenery and take photos.

The ride then reaches a Bedouin-style camp. This is where you can enjoy dance performances including belly dance. A BBQ buffet is served in dinner – after which you are taken back to your hotel.

Dubai Desert Safari offers complete value for money and time by offering a wonderful experience. If you want to know more, you can read my full Dubai Desert Safari review.

Spend A Perfect Day in Dubai: Summing Up

I believe one day is not enough to get to know and experience a new place at its best. But if you have only a day in Dubai, you must get the best out of it.

I hope I was able to offer you proper advice on how to spend a perfect day in Dubai. As mentioned earlier, you can skip any of these places if you wish to spend more time in other activities.

I would love to know if you have other ways to spend a perfect day in Dubai. Feel free to add your comments!

About the author

Parvez Shaikh

Meet Parvez, who broke free from his mediocre life to live a life he's now proud of. His life goal is to seek happiness in everything he does, in every part of the world. Join him on his journey as he explores new destinations and newer, happier version of himself.